More From Malcolm Brogdon

Virginia's Malcolm Brogdon played his first game in the orange and blue Sunday afternoon as UVa rolled past South Carolina State 75-38. Read TheSabre.com's free game recap for more on the contest and redshirt freshman James Johnson. Sabre Editor Kris Wright talked with Brogdon after the game and some of his answers to media questions that didn't make the story follow.

On his role ...

"[Coach Bennett] thinks I'm going to be in the rotation, but it just depends on how I perform and I progress. I think I'm definitely going to have the opportunity because that's the kind of coach he is, he gives his players opportunities."

On his style ...

"I definitely like to get my teammates open. I like to get in the lane and make decisions with the ball whether its finish, hand it off to a teammate, or kick it out to a shooter like Joe [Harris]. I like to shoot it; I like to handle it and shoot it a little bit."

On playing under control ...

"I think I've actually picked it up, started picking it up over the summer because I never ran point guard in high school. So it's a big adjustment to handle the ball but I'm learning from Jontel Evans, he's a really good point guard. I'm learning from him every day. Competiting against the best will get you a lot better."

On learning the defense ...

"That's been the roughest part by far. The defense we play here at Virginia is like no other really. It's about being in the gap. It's about boxing out when the shot goes up. It's about communicating - communicating is the biggest thing in our defense. If you don't play defense, you won't play. It's that simple."

On Jontel Evans ...

"The first time I played against Jontel in practice, he destroyed me. Just running circles around me. I just had to learn how to guard him and I'm still learning how to guard him. He still gets me. [His defense] is really tough too. That's equally as tough as guarding him because he's a great defender. He really is."

This Week In Recruiting

As expected, all four of Virginia's 2012 class men's basketball commitments made it official and signed with the Cavaliers. Wing Justin Anderson, wing/forward Evan Nolte, post Mike Tobey, and lead guard Teven Jones make up the class, which currently is ranked in the top 25 nationally by ESPN.com, Rivals.com and Scout.com. TheSabre.com will have further analysis coming up, including comments from The Sabre's own Kris Wright and the ACC Sports Journal's Dave Glenn.

The women's basketball program inked a solid class as well, including ESPNHoopGurlz Top 100 prospects Faith Randolph (5'10" guard, Good Counsel High School, Olney, MD) and Raeshaun Gaffney (5'9" guard, Fairfield Senior High School, Fairfield, OH), and ESPNHoopGurlz 3-star prospect Jaryn Garner (5'8" guard, Germantown Academy, Fort Washington, PA).

Randolph, the no. 26 prospect in the nation per ESPNHoopGurlz, averaged 13.5 points, four rebounds and 2.2 assists last season as a junior. Of Randolph, new UVa head coach Joanne Boyle said: "Faith will provide an immediate scoring threat for us on the wing. She is a powerful, athletic and quick perimeter player who has unlimited range and can score from a variety of areas. She plays the game at a tremendous pace at all times and her motor never stops. Faith will do an excellent job on the defensive end for us as well. We are excited to welcome her to Virginia."

Gaffney averaged 26.1 points, 7.7 rebounds and 4.1 steals per game as a junior, while Garner, a point guard prospect, was a Philadelphia Inquirer All-Area Team selection.

On the football recruiting front ...

Wayne County (Jesup, GA) quarterback Greyson Lambert plans to enroll at the University of Virginia this coming January. The 6'5", 210-pound senior checked out his future school this past weekend, when he was in Charlottesville on an official visit. I plan to catch up with the talented prospect, who chose UVa over offers from Alabama, Georgia and others, for comments on the experience and a look ahead to early enrollment.

Lambert wasn't the only Virginia 2012 class commitment on hand for Virginia's win over Duke. Norfolk Christian (Norfolk, VA) seniors Kwontie Moore, Mario Nixon, Wil Wahee and Courtnye Wynn were there, and so were interior offensive line prospect Ryan Doull, wide receiver Adrian Gamble, and offensive tackle prospect Sean Karl.

I hope to have more with the 6'6", 295-pound Karl this week as well. Likely an offensive tackle at the college level, Karl was a 4-year contributor on the varsity level at Eastport-South Manor in New York.

Quarterback Matt Johns and wide receiver Anthony Cooper are just a few of Virginia's 2012 commits that performed well on the gridiron this past weekend. Johns, featured in The Sabre's "Season Diary" feature, helped his team to a first round playoff win over Plymouth-Whitemarsh. Cooper had a huge game for Bayside (Virginia Beach, VA) by hauling in 200-plus yards receiving and two scores in Bayside's Eastern Region Division 6 quarterfinal win.

Read more on how Virginia's commits performed last week in the latest "Week In Review" on The Good Ol Blog.

Chris Horne, our resident recruiting expert, provides updates throughout the week for Edge subscribers about UVa's commitments and recruiting targets in football and men's basketball. To sign up for an Edge subscription, please check out the Sabre Edge Sign Up and Information Page. If you're already on board as an Edge subscriber, click the links below to catch up on recruiting.

Sabre Edge recruiting updates from the past week ...

Recruiting Notes: Brim Angling For Shot On Offense
In Victory Christian Academy's (Lakeland, FL) final two regular season games, senior quarterback Demeitre Brim has rushed for a total of 421 yards and totaled seven touchdowns. Brim is a big-time playmaker for the Storm offense, and he is hoping for a chance to be a playmaker in UVa's offense as well.

UVa Announces Four Signees
All four of the University of Virginia men's basketball 2012 class recruits have signed, according to a release posted on VirginiaSports.com this evening. Justin Anderson, Teven Jones, Evan Nolte and Mike Tobey are Tony Bennett and company's latest additions, and the group is ranked in the top 25 nationally by ESPN.com, Rivals.com and Scout.com.

More recent recruiting updates on The Sabre ...

• Season Diary: Playoff Time For The Titans
• Tyson Biding Time On Recruiting Front
• Week In Review: Playoff Time!(blog)
• Report: Hoos Offer Maryland Pair (blog)

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Virginia Athletics Media Relations Official Release

The Virginia athletics department announced Monday it is accepting requests for football bowl game tickets. The Cavaliers became eligible to participate in a bowl for the first time since 2007 on Saturday when they won at Maryland 31-13 for their sixth victory of the season.

It is not expected that bowl invitations will be extended until Sunday, Dec. 4, after selections are announced for the Bowl Championship Series, due to the Atlantic Coast Conference's bowl agreements. It would mark the 18th time in the history of the UVa football program the Cavaliers will compete in a bowl game.

All fans are encouraged to order bowl tickets from the Virginia Athletics Ticket Office. Each bowl game has a minimum number of tickets the participating schools must purchase. Only tickets purchased through the Virginia Athletics Ticket Office will count towards the minimum number UVa must purchase. In addition, purchasing tickets through the Virginia Athletics Ticket Office ensures Cavalier fans are seated together at the game.

Bowl game ticket requests are now being accepted from donors, football season ticket holders and the general public (including alumni) until the priority deadline of Dec. 7. Customers will need to provide a credit card (MasterCard, Visa, American Express or Discover) to place an order but will not be charged until the actual bowl selection is determined. Student tickets will be sold beginning Monday, Dec. 5 at 9 a.m. through the SHOTS ticket request system until the designated student section is sold out. Priority for ticket requests and seating will be given first to Virginia Athletics Foundation donors based on priority points, second to season ticket holders on a date received basis and then to the general public on a date received basis.

A Bowl Central website is linked to the front page of VirginiaSports.com to provide updates as information regarding UVa's bowl invitation becomes available. A list of all of the ACC's bowl partners is included with direct links to the various bowl games' official websites. The ACC's bowl selection process is also available at Bowl Central. Fans can make their bowl ticket request online at VirginiaSports.com by logging into their online account or through the Virginia Athletics Ticket Office in Bryant Hall at Scott Stadium. The ticket office is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. for in-person or telephone purchases. Telephone purchases can be made by calling 1-800-542-UVA1 (8821) or locally at 434-924-UVA1 (8821).

Cavaliers Blank Long Island in NCAA First Round

Virginia Athletics Media Relations Official Release

The eighth-ranked Virginia women's soccer team opened play in the 2011 NCAA Tournament with a 2-0 victory over Long Island in a first round match Friday night at Klockner Stadium. The Cavaliers used first half goals from Julia Roberts and Morgan Brian to post its school record 13th home win of the season. Virginia (15-4-2) will meet Washington State in the second round.

"It was a good win to open the tournament," said head coach Steve Swanson. "I thought we moved the ball quite well and obviously getting that first goal was important. I thought we had chances to break the game open and it didn't happen. I didn't think there was a time, maybe other than the last minute or so, when we weren't in control of the game. I thought Long Island put up a good fight and they were organized defensively."

The Cavaliers took the early lead in the fourth minute. After a foul just outside the box, Roberts curled a shot over the wall and into the net for her sixth goal of the season, her third coming off a direct free kick. Brian doubled the lead in the 44th minute, placing a cross from Amber Fry just inside the post for her ninth goal of the season.

Virginia outshot Long Island 19-4 for the game and had a 5-1 corner kick edge. Chantel Jones made two saves for Virginia to post her 45th career shutout, giving her sole possession of the NCAA record. Jennifer Bannon made two saves for the Blackbirds.

The Cavaliers will host second and third action this weekend at Klockner Stadium. There will be a doubleheader on Friday with two second round games. Virginia will play Washington State at 7 p.m. The first game will be at 4 p.m. between Texas A&M and Virginia Tech. Friday's winners will play in the third round on Sunday at 1 p.m.

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Around the World of Wahoo Sports ...

• Minnifield Named Semifinalist for the 2011 Lott IMPACT Trophy: Virginia cornerback Chase Minnifield has been named one of 10 semifinalists for the 2011 Lott IMPACT Trophy, honoring the top collegiate defensive player in the country. Minnifield is joined by Boston College's Luke Kuechly as the only players from the ACC represented as semifinalists.
• Ted Jeffries Joins the Virginia Sports Network: Virginia Sports Properties, a division of CBS Collegiate Sports Properties, the multi-media rights partner of the University of Virginia athletics department, announced that former Cavalier basketball player Ted Jeffries has joined the Virginia Sports Network. Jeffries will serve as analyst with play-by-play announcer Dave Koehn on Virginia broadcasts during the 2011-12 men's basketball season.
• Joanne Boyle Era Begins With 80-48 Win: The Virginia women's basketball team, in Joanne Boyle's debut as the Cavaliers' head coach, defeated Appalachian State, 80-48, Friday at John Paul Jones Arena in the season opener for both teams. Senior forward Chelsea Shine paced the Cavaliers with 15 points and eight rebounds. Virginia faces Big East opponent Providence tonight on the road at 7 p.m.
• Cavaliers Fall 1-0 in Overtime to North Carolina in ACC Semifinals: Billy Schuler scored 1:55 into overtime to lift top-seeded North Carolina to a 1-0 victory over the fourth-seeded Virginia men's soccer team Friday evening in the semifinals of the ACC Championship. Virginia (12-7-1) now will await its postseason fate. The NCAA tournament selection show will air at 4:30 p.m. today online at NCAA.com. The tournament begins Thursday with first-round matches.
• Justin Shane Wins Lakeland Ranch Clay Court Championship: The Virginia men's tennis team won both the singles and doubles titles at the Dick Vitale Lakeland Ranch Clay Court Intercollegiate Classic. Justin Shane won the singles title, while Shane and Philippe Oudshoorn won the doubles title.
• Virginia Women Repeat as NCAA Southeast Regional Champions: The No. 21 Virginia women's cross country team won its second consecutive NCAA Southeast Regional Championship and third in four years Saturday morning. The Cavaliers finished with 107 points, defeating ACC rivals NC State and North Carolina, who finished second and third with 113 and 133 points, respectively. With the win, the Cavalier women earn an automatic bid into the 2011 NCAA Cross Country Championships for the fourth straight year. This will mark Virginia's sixth trip to NCAAs in the past seven years and 12th appearance overall. The Virginia men finished ninth overall with 238 points.
• Five Cavaliers Win Championships at Wolfpack Open: Virginia wrestlers earned five of the 10 individual titles Sunday at NC State's Wolfpack Open. UVa put eight competitiors in the finals, as Matt Snyder (125), Nick Nelson (141), Jedd Moore (157), Nick Sulzer (165) and Jon Fausey (184) all won championships at their individual weight classes and three more took runner-up honors.
• Volleyball Grabs Two ACC Wins: After a four-match road swing, the Virginia volleyball team opened a five-match homestand with a 28-26, 25-18, 29-27 win over Boston College on Friday Three Hoos, senior Simone Asque, sophomore Emily Rottman and freshman Tori Janowski all tallied double-digit kills. UVa also came from behind to defeat ACC rival Maryland, 14-25, 25-23, 25-21, 30-28, Saturday night. Asque had 17 kills, while Rottman posted a double-double with 14 digs and 11 kills.
• Virginia Wins Two Races at Rivanna Romp to Conclude Fall Season: The Virginia rowing team concluded its fall schedule Sunday morning with the Rivanna Romp on the Rivanna Reservoir. The Cavaliers competed against crews from Clemson, Old Dominion and Pennsylvania. The Hoos finished 1-2-3 in the varsity eights, with UVa's 'A' boat earning its third straight win in a time of 13:44.88. Along with wins at the Head of the Charles and the Princeton Chase, it is the first time in Virginia history a boat has gone undefeated in the fall.

To read the full stories or gather more information on Virginia athletics, check out Virginiasports.com.

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Issue No. 62 - November 22, 2002

Virginia Football defeats NC State

The Cavaliers secured themselves a post-season bowl with their seventh win of the season last Saturday by knocking of nationally-ranked NC State. The win makes Virginia bowl eligible, and their apparent destination could be either the Peach Bowl or Gator Bowl depending on how they fare against Maryland this Saturday.

The win over NC State gave Virginia a clean sweep of the Carolinas. In addition to NC State, the Hoos have defeated North Carolina, Wake Forest, Duke, South Carolina and Clemson. This is the first time in school history that the Hoos have swept all major conference teams from both of those states in one season.

With only two games left in the season, the Cavaliers have already shocked most of the preseason predictors by securing a winning season with perhaps the youngest major college football team in the nation. What makes this even more remarkable is that the Hoos have done this with a rash of injuries, especially on the offensive line, where top linemen Elton Brown and Kevin Bailey have been sidelined.

Read SabreMail No. 62 here.

Coming Soon

The Sabre has you covered when it comes to Hoo news. Here are a few of the articles to expect on the site soon:

• UVa Football In ACC Play: The Cavaliers head back to ACC play this week against Florida State. Stay tuned for football updates including TheSabre.com's postgame coverage of the Duke win with articles from JHoo and Greg Waters.
• Pro Hoos: TheSabre.com debuted a new series. Beyond The Lawn" is a 12-month series found exclusively on TheSabre.com that follows three Virginia Cavaliers through a year as a professional athlete. Baseball's Tyler Wilson (Baltimore Orioles), track and field's Stephanie Marie Garcia (U.S. Olympic hopeful), and football's Clint Sintim (New York Giants) share their experiences throughout the year. Stay tuned for the next edition with Tyler Wilson!

In Case You Missed It ...

Sabre articles since the last SabreMail

Hoos Cruise In Opener
Lopsided. In every sense of the word, Virginia's season-opening men's basketball game featured an overmatched South Carolina State team. The contest resulted in a 75-38 win for the Cavaliers, the largest margin of victory for the program in the Tony Bennett era and the biggest win since a 94-52 triumph against Northwestern on Nov. 27, 2007.

The Sunday Sampler 2011 - Duke
The 2011 season got off to an unsteady start in some ways for Virginia quarterback Michael Rocco. He helped his team win the first two games against William & Mary and Indiana, but the Hoos stumbled with two losses to North Carolina and Southern Miss in September. In those four games, Rocco threw just 1 touchdown pass with 8 interceptions. While the statistics were shaky, however, Rocco was not shaken.

Hoos Dump Duke For Win No. 7
For two straight games, the Virginia football team has used an explosive second half to put away ACC opponents. One week after the Hoos posted 17 points after halftime in a 31-13 win over Maryland, they posted 17 more on the board after intermission Saturday to hold on for a 31-21 victory against Duke. Maybe call it the reverse Doppler effect because the Hoos are making more noise as the season wears on for the first time since 2007.

Duke Watch List
Virginia has lost three straight games to Duke, including a disappointing 55-48 setback in Durham last season. What can the Cavaliers do to snap the skid against the Blue Devils? The generic game plan is the same. Run the football, eat up the clock, and use play action on offense. Stop the run, tackle well, and win third down on defense. Throw in low numbers for penalties and turnovers and that's been UVa's formula in its wins. With those basics in mind, let's take a look at some more specific details for this game in the Duke Watch List.

Game Preview 2011: Duke
Now what? Week by week, the questions have been asked. The Hoos haven't been perfect, but mostly they've answered those questions in impressive fashion. The result is a 6-3 record and bowl eligibility for the first time since the 2007 season. So, the questions this week shifted. Now what? Can you avoid a letdown now that you've secured a bowl and avoid complacency? The Hoos say they're focused on snapping a three-game losing streak against Duke.

The Sabre Interview: James Johnson
Virginia fans will finally get an opportunity to see James Johnson play on the court this season. Johnson, a 6'9", 238-pound forward, was redshirted last season in order to develop his mental and physical game. He and the coaching staff felt he needed an extra year to improve in some areas. With the season opener and Johnson's debut just days away, it's an opportune time for "The Sabre Interview" with the redshirt freshman.

Tailgating With Chefhoo - Duke
I mentioned last week that the Maryland game provided the temptation to do something Jersey-related. I was going to save that theme for the Duke game, but I couldn't resist sharing one of my go-to simple tailgating recipes ... BBQ chicken. The chill in the air also provides us the opportunity to highlight one of the all-time great comfort foods and the perfect accompaniment to BBQ chicken, macaroni and cheese.

Q&A - Freshman Paul Jesperson
Rounding out our "Q&A" features with the University of Virginia incoming freshman is 6'6", 197-pound wing Paul Jesperson, the 2010/2011 Gatorade and Associated Press Player of the Year in the state of Wisconsin. In this "Q&A", the versatile freshman discusses making the transition from playing point guard in high school to off guard in college, the work being done by Strength and Conditioning Coach Mike Curtis, working with fellow freshman Malcolm Brogdon, and much more.

Greg's Game Report 2011 - Maryland
The difference between a championship caliber team and a one that is not is the ability to take care of business. Virginia's 31-13 win over Maryland was a blue-collar effort and nothing more, and that's what good teams do in these situations. Virginia thwarted a Terrapin touchdown opportunity from the Cavalier 2-yard line late in the first half and scored on the ensuing possession to take a 14-13 halftime lead. The Hoos never trailed again and put the game away early in the second half. Let's take a closer look in Greg's Game Report.

JHoo's 10 Things I Learned 2011 ... Maryland
Virginia just beat Maryland. On the road. Convincingly. To qualify for a bowl. To clinch a losing season for Maryland. To keep the program's momentum rolling. I really have nothing else to say ... okay, maybe I do. Here are 10 Things I Learned from the 31-13 win at Maryland.

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